Dispensing device



handle,yet it is eilicient in operation. l

Patented Apr. 21,1942

e Y 2,280,443 j UNiTED STATES PATENT. `oi=i=ici-2 e i i hassan: ""1 wnrsransmdnnvica FrankMurray'fLongmeadomand Ulrich j i`SuthergreenlFishen Holyoke, Mau. l 1]; ,Applicaties saliese. 1th, semiNe. 399.862 (cieca-,42)

. This 1j intentie@ f relates `te, @brevemente lm' dispensing orejectlngj devices and `more par- ,ticularly `to a deviceilorcontaining and 1dis-Mcharging', such .small' spherical fobjectsfas the metaljsalls that are;commonly employed injthe e bearings ofl'electricimeters andthe like. e

`1f; iselfprineipel obiectgute provide e `nevel .deviceylfordispensingsmall balls one at a time in suchV a way thataccidentalejectionof more than one ball at a time ispreventefihw The `oli-riet`relation with `'respect` thereto with a gate meinberslidabletiransverselg` between thebores.

`'miie gate hasI ein` opening which is registerabie with one of, the`bores, accordingtouits position, and is adapted; to ierlsier` an object"from one oithe` bores to `the other, the objects thus being `dispensedfrom the outlet-bore, one at a time.

1 .According to the form shown in Figs. 1-3 inc.

pandi 5,pthere is a, container member 2 `hav- 1o sphres orballs that"aresused in "thereiined bearingsofan electric meter are extremely smalland dllcult'to handle and it is desirable,` .Vfor

best res'ults.-` that they bedischargedinto their bearingswithout beingmanually touched. Special features `ofthe invention are theproingadongitudinal bore 4 andathreaded socket 6 in one end "thereof,`the-bore and-socket being vision of a distinctively-constructeddispensing container adapted to prohibit ,the entrance of lforeignmatterjsuch dust or the. like. and a relativelyj transparentball-containing chamber so that` theballs areivisiblehwhereby it may be,readilyisejenwhen the chambergneeds relling. .Y

be seen, the construction `ofthe device -is simpler than prior, art`devices so "as to `be more` economical to manufacture and ,easier toWith; "theqi'oregoingandvarious other novel features Yand advantages`and other objects of e our "inventionkas4 will become morevapparent asthe description proceeds, the,"in'vention consists Vin certain novelfeatures of construction and in 1 in communication las shown. Thecontainer member 2 is'preferably formed ofa transparent `material suchas plastic. glass `or the likeso that objects `within thebore may beseen from witnqut. i, i

i bodymember l hasV an externally threaded nipple Ill for threadedlyengaging `in socket C anni.` a' longitudinal bore `i2 for aligning withbore 4 whenthe parts are assembled as shown.

Themember s' is also provided with. separate,

longitudinal bore Il and this is offset with relatio'ntobore I2 so aslto be out ofalignment i therewith.

`What'may be called a gate member 20" is provided for` slidingtransversely in part l between the lower end of borel I2 and the `upperend` of bore Il. This is provided with an opening 22 therethrough jwhlchwill bein alignment with bores I2 and l` `when'the gate is in thePosition v shown and with borell in another position of the; gate. i

in the `claims hereunto annexed and morei'ully described and referred toin 'connection with the `accompanying,drawing wherein:`

Fig. 3is` a`- sectional view onthe` line of Fig.1;``

rig; 4 is aside 1eieva'uemiiYview er elinedi'ned form of the invention;L1 V LFig. 5. `is a" partialviront elevational view oi.

It willbe appreciated that when the gate is` in'thelilrst-namedposition, one of the supply of' objects, shown as small ballsB, dropsinto the opening 22 while the'gate closes oi! the lupper end o! bore il.e `When the gate .is,slid

to theright of the,` position shown, thesaid ball B in opening 22 iscarried therewith until what is shown in Fig.k l with a part removed e`for cleamess: and

includes a container having a longitudinal bore` the opening registerswith bore M into which it drops, 'the gate thenshuttihgyoii the lowerend o! bores l2 and preventing the `other balls from dropping down.

. i "l'hat is to say. the opening 22r and the gate are of suchsizes thatonlyone ball al;` a `-tixizie is allowed' to `be carried from-the supplybore to theoutlet bore Il. There is preferably a delivery spout member28 extending from the part l having a bore in communication with thebore I4 so that the little balls may be efliciently seated duringoperation o! the device.

Springmeans is provided for urging the gate member to the position shownin Fig. 1. This may obviously vary in form but here includes a v for asupply of objects and an outlet bore in length of spring metal 30 havingits main portion seated in a longitudinal groove 32 in the front face ofpart 8.

The lower end portion of the spring engages the gate as by passingthrough an opening therein.l The upper end portion of body 8 belownipple Il may be reduced to provide a neck Il bodiments are therefore tobe considered in all respects merely as being illustrative and not asbeing restrictive, the scope o f the invention being andthe latter has asprocket or seat 36 for recarried in an inverted position from thatshown in Fig. 1 and, ii' desired, there may be a pencil- -clip of usualconstruction associatedrwith the dis- `penser for facilitating its beingcarried in a vestpo'cket or the like. When in use, it will readily beseen that the 'operator may hold the device in one hand and manuallyslide the gate to ejecting position since'said gate is purposely formedto ,hayan iinger-fengageable part extending outwardly vbeyondthe'planeof the sides of the partY 8.

Thegxdevice is loaded, of course, by'unscrewing `the parts 2 and 8 anddropping a supply of the objects into the bore l while the part 2 is ininverted position. After screwing the parts together, the device isready for use.

According to the form shown in Figs. 4 and 6, there is a body III havinga longitudinal-bore 42 with an internally threaded socket 44 in itsupper end, there being a passageway connecting the bore-and socket asshown. A cap member 46 has a threaded lower end 48 for-threading intosocket u after the supply bore 42 has been nlled with the yobjects B'. LY 'The bore l2 terminates-short of the lower end of the body 40 andbelow said bore is another bore l0. The latter is offset, or out ofalignment;

with Vrespect to bore 42/in the same manner as bores l and Il previouslydescribed.

A gate member 52 having an opening 54 is slid;- able between the boresso that opening 54 may be either in the ball-receiving position shown orin register with bore 50. When in the latter position. the ball will, ofcourse, drop downwardly and out'through the open end of the device.

The spring meansfor urging thegate to ballreceiving positionis similarto that described inY connection with Figs: 1 and 5 and includes agroove or'slot 58 provided inthe front face of the body 4l and a curvedvlength of spring wire I8 seated therein asV shown. The upper end portionof member-)8 is anchored to the body as by va screw 56' extending intothev groove and engaging the spring while its lower end portion extendsthrough an opening. in the gate. l

` The invention may be embodied `in other .spe-

cinc forms without departing from the essential characteristics thereof.Hence, the present-emindicated by the appended claims rather than by theforegoing description, and all modifications and variations as falllwithin the meaning and purview and range of equivalencyy of theappended claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What it is desired to claim and secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates is:

l. A dispensing device of the class described comprising in combination,a container having a longitudinal supply bore for a supply of objectsprovided with a closed upper end and a threaded socket at the lower endof the bore, a body part having its upper end portion threaded into saidsocket and a reduced neckl portion therebelow,

' said body being provided with a bore in alignment with said supplybore and ali outlet bore disposed in offset relation with respect to thefirst-namedbore and a longitudinal groove in its face, a spring wire insaid groove, a collar member around said neck -portion and engaging theupper end portion of said spring wire, and a gate member slidabletransversely between the outlet Vbore and the bore of the body inalignment with that ofthe container and below said collar member andhaving an opening registerable with one Vof said bores according tothevp'osition of said gate member for transferring an object from one ofsaidl bores to the other, the lower end portion of said spring wireengaging said gate' member and urging the same in one direction.

2. A device adapted to be held in the hand for dispensing successiverelatively small objects, an elongated structure having an upper axialbore for a supply-0f objects to be dispensed and a lower axial boreoffset relative thereto for receiving and discharging objects,'a gateslidable in the structure transversely of and between adjacent innerends of said bores between discharging and non-discharging positionshaving an object receiving opening therethrough for receiving a singleobject registerable with said bores accordingly as it is in one positionor the other, anextension of said gate vprojecting outwardly of thestructure in the non-discharging position of the gate for manualengagement by the thumb when the device is held in the' hand whereby thegate may be moved to discharging .position to close the y upper bore andtransfer an object in the opening thereof received from the upper boreto the lower bore for'discharging the' same, and spring means associatedwith the gate and structure acting on the former to return the same tonon-discharging position when released by the thumb engageable Y withthe elongated structure to limit return lmovement of said gate, saidextension of the gate pro- Jecting outwardlyr of the'structure beingsuch that when the gate is moved to discharging position by the thumbthe opening in the gate is aligned with the lower discharge bore ai thethumb abuts the side of the structure.

JOHN FRANK MURRAY.

ULRICH SUTHERGREEN FISHER.

